Improvement in machines for surface-finishing woolen fabrics



A. J. ELWELL. MACHINE FOR SURFACE-FINISHING WOOLEN FABRICS.

No. 173,398. Patented Feb. 15, 1876.

O M I WITNESSES. no.2. I l INVEN TUR- ALBERT annwnnt, or wooN'sooKar,ASSIGNOR TO LIPPITT WOODEN COMPANY, OF raovrnnncn, nHonE ISLAND.

IMPROVEMENT lNMACHllN E-S FOR SURFACE-FINISHING WOQLIEN FABRICS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 173,398, dated February15, 1876; application filed November 4, 1875.

To albwhom it mayconcern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT J. ELWELL,

of Woonsocket, in the 'county of Providence and State of Rhode Island,haveinvented certain newand useful Improvements in Finishing the Surfaceof Heavy 'Woolen Fabrics, and in machinesfor-pertbrmingthat service; andI do hereby declare that the.followingspecitication, taken in connectionwith thedrawings mak-in g a part of the same, isa full, clear, andexactdeseription thereof.

Figure 1; is an end view.

Fig. 2 is afront elevation.

The main featureof my invention is an improvement in theartofsurtace-tinishingheavy woolen. goods ofthat: general class-which =em-.braces-the goods well known in the tradeaschinchillas? and, elysianbeavers; and mya said improvementconsistsin thedevelopment of the tuftsor knotsof fiber constituting the V [surface-finish byv subjecting thewearing-stirfaceofsaid'goods to thevactiontot' brushes,

whereby,also, said surface isbrightened, and thewoven'eft'ectsin thefabric clearly developed. a

Another featureof my invention consists in and a rapidlyereciproeatingbrush arranged to operate on the'surt'aceof the fabric while ontheplatfor n.

Another feature ofim y invention consists in the combination in a'chinchillaor petersh an;

finishing, machine, of a rear surfacingrevolving brush with the frontfinishing rubber or brushand the platform,for purposes hereat} terifullydescribed. 1

The mechanwal'portion of my invention, as

hereinafter described, is embodied in aniodi fication upon 7 the wellknown petersham or chinchilla machine used in the art ot' manufacture ofwoolen coatings and other heavy Woolen goods. After a piece of woolengoods of: the character described haspassed through the gigging-machine,it has been customary to dress andsmooth its' face side-by subjectingthe piece of cloth,as it is passing over a table,

to the action of a rubber, which has usually consisted of a board. fromfour to six inches in width, and of a length somewhat greater than thewidth of the piece of goods to be This board has been covered with vcloth, carpeting, india-ru bber, and various other materials suitablefor rubbing down and smoothing the surface of the cloth, and isapdressed.

plied under pressure to the surface of the piece of goodsas the latteris running at a slow rate of speed from one side of the machine to theother over a narrow table or platform on the vtop of-the machine, therubber having a quick vibratory motion given to it, and, pressinguponthe. cloth while the latter is passingover the table-,curlsthe fiberand renders uniform its surface.

While the petersham'machine is admirably adapted for the general purposefor which it is intended, and is indispensable in-the propersurfacingofheavy woolen goods, the rubbers which have beenheretoforeemployed, so far v asI have any knowled ge,.h ave the effect to mat thesurface of the cloth, and render cloudy or confuse the outline of thefigure which is woven .in the cloth.- This is particularly true infinishing that description of goods used for heavy over-coatings, andknown to the trade under the name of elysi-anbeavers. These goods areWoven on a ,Qrompton or J aequard loom in various-figuredpatterns. Thesurface nap of thecloth-is not shavenc'losely, and the result istha t,afterlthe cloth hasbeen passed through 1thelsurfacing.-machinereferredto, the figure has lost much of itsdistinctness, thereby ma,

teriallyfinjuring the pleasing effect, which, ifthe figure were clean,}would otherwise be retained by theeloth OP etee s;e'nydn entibn,i p o ie a m chi e u ek i-z' p ed .e.si-eertain; n ve char a 1 ss i le t.bejemn oyed in;

character;describedfln connection with the,

above-rcferred-to petersham-machines, andby;

PATENT QFFrca.

t ;i iu l i ig.iwqe en fa e of the means of which the figured pattern ofthe and of a greater 'or less extent, depending goods can be broughtout, clearly, notwithupon the general character of the figuredpatstanding that the same piece of goods has tern-of the cloth, theobject being to have previously been subjected to the action of themovement of the brush approximate as the above-mentionedsurfacing-rubber; and nearly as possible to the general outline of thispart of the invention consistsin the comthe woven figure. As the pieceof cloth is bination,'with the platform and conducting drawn along, faceuppermost, over the surand guiding rolls, as in a peter'sham-machine,face of the table G. the action of the vibratof a brush to be applied tothe surface of the ing brush, which is made to bear with any cloth,similarly to the manner in .which the desired degree of pressure uponthe cloth rubber is applied, the bristles of which brush supported bythe table, is to search out the are of a proper degree of flexibilityand stilf- \voven figure and clearly develop its outline,

ness to render the surface of the brush yieldfrom the capacity which ayielding bristling ing and capable of searching out and develsurfacecomposed of an aggregation of indioping the figures of the woven patternby vidually flexible and elastic components posbrushing the-recesses anddepressed parts in' sesses of reaching the recesses and depressaidfigures, as well as the raised portions, in sions of a figured pattern,and at the same distinction from matting or flattening the surtimeworking upon the more elevated porface of the cloth by the dead pressureof a tions of the surface without crushing or matnon-bristling surface,like carpeting, plush, ting it. The result is, that the figure isrubber, or the like. brought out clearly, thereby exhibiting on I use inmy machine a feature not heretofore the surface of the cloth thatcontrast of light used in the petersham-machine, which conand shade dueto the elevations and depressists in a revolving brush applied to theback sions in thepattern which gives the most side of the piece ofcloth-as it is passing .pleasing effect to the fabric. through themachine, to remove the small ir- The efi'ect of the brush described, aswell regular rolls of fiber which are occasioned by as the effect of therubber heretofore used in the movement of the cloth on the platform,these machines, is to produce irregular. rolls incident to the action ofthe rubber in the of fiber on the back side of the cloth. Inpetersham-machine, or by the surfacing-brush order to remove such andgive a smooth surin my improved machine. face to the wrong side of thegoods, I'have I am aware that, invshearing and other simlocated arevolving brush, E, as shown in the ilar machines, rotary brushes havebeen emdrawings, which maybe driven in any conployed to operate on bothsurfaces of fabrics; venient way, and is made to brush the back butitwill be seen that these rear'surfacingside'of the cloth and lay smooththe fibers of brushes, as employed by me for the first time the clothupon that side, after the cloth has in combination with the rubber, orthe front passed from under the action of the vibratingsurface-finishing brush, perform a valuable brush D. This improvementserves as valuservice, in that, although the fabrics may have able apurpose upon machines which employ had their rear sides previouslyoperated upon the old form of rubber described as upon maby brushes inthe shearingmachine, the chines provided with my improvementheremovement of the fabric on the platform, inciinbefore described. dentto the action of the finishing brush or I am aware that machines forsecuring and rubber on the front surface, develops rolls or cleaningcloths or wearing apparel have hereknots of fiber on the rear surface ofthe fabtofore been devised which embodied a platric, which the rearsurface brush removes; form with suitable devices for clamping the and,therefore, the said rear brush, in combicloth or apparel thereon, and apair of alternation with the rubber or reciprocatingfinnately-reciprocating brushes, which were arishing-brus'h, constitutesone portion of my ranged to sweep across the fabric from side toinvention. l I I side, and thereby to scour and clean the fab- Thedrawings represent, except in the parrics. Such machines have never, however,to ticulars above mentioned, theordinary chinmy knowledge, been employedfor surface chilla or petersham machineu A A are the finishinggoods ofthe character herein named, standards of the machine, suitably unitedby. nor have they been provided with rolls for cross-rails or girts. Thepiece of cloth is rep guiding and conducting the fabrics across theresented by the line a b, which is conducted platform. 7 from one sideof the machine to the other What I claim as my invention, and'desireover friction-rollers, as shown, and is drawn ,to secure by LettersPatent, i salong by the revolving-,.,porcupine roller B, X 1.5 Theimprovement in the 'art of surfaceoverthe flat surface (if-"a table or.platform,'( L fii nishing chinchillas, beavers, and other simi- D isabar, whose length is reaterfthan tlif 'l ar heavy woolen fabrics, whichconsists in width of the piece of cloth, the undersurface 'idevelopingthe tufts or knots of fiber on the of which is armed with hair,bristles, brother surface, by subjecting said surface to the ac-*equivalent n1aterial-as, for instance, split .tioii 'of areciproca-tingbrush, operating subwhalebone or rattan fiber, having the qualitystant-ially in the manner described. of a brush. I To this brush aconstant recip- 2. In a inachine for'finishing the front surrocating oran eccentric movement is given, face of heavy woolen goods, thecombination,

nease 's Jstantially as described.

3. In a machine for finishing the front surface of heavy woolen fabrics,the combination, with a platform. for sustaining the fabric s, andfeeding and conducting rolls for passing the fabric along the platform,of a reciprocating brush arranged to operate on the front surface of thefabric, substantially as I described.

4. The combination, in a chinchilla or petersham finishing machine, withthe platform and the reciprocating surface-finishin g device, of a rearsurface-brush, substantially as described, for the purpose of removingthe rolls or tufts of fiber developed on the rear surface of the fabricby reason of its movement on the platform, incident to the action of therubber or other reciprocating finishing device, as set forth.

ALBERT J. ELWELL.

Witnesses:

CHAS. H. MERRIMAN, ERASTUS RICHARDSON.

